Various commercially available gaming devices enable a player to select a video, graphical, or virtual dealer for a dealer-based game, such as a card game, from a set or group of video, graphical, or virtual dealers having different appearances. That is, each of the video, graphical, or virtual dealers in the set or group look different from one another. These gaming devices display the selected video, graphical, or virtual dealer manipulating one or more objects during play of the dealer-based game. In one of these gaming devices configured to operate a video blackjack game, the gaming device displays the selected video, graphical, or virtual dealer dealing cards to players. In another one of these gaming devices configured to operate a video roulette game, the gaming device displays the selected video, graphical, or virtual dealer introducing a ball into a roulette wheel.
Certain players make video, graphical, or virtual dealer selections based on emotional factors, such as familiarity, gender, attractiveness, or other aesthetic considerations. Other players change video, graphical, or virtual dealers to change the voice-over, as it may become irritating to keep hearing the same speech over and over. Other players enjoy having control of an aspect of the dealer-based game. Certain of these gaming devices enable a player to replace a current video, graphical, or virtual dealer with another one of the video, graphical, or virtual dealers having a different appearance. Some players believe that changing the appearance of the video, graphical, or virtual dealer may change the player's luck and render the player more likely to achieve a winning outcome or outcomes.
Part of the excitement of playing wagering games is the anticipation and revelation of outcomes during play of those wagering games. In dealer-based games including cards, the movement of a card from the deck to a player's area and the rotation of the card from face-down to face-up can have a large impact on a player's ability to detect, for example, the difference between a face card and non-face card prior to the card settling into its final position. Similarly, many players have certain expectations as to how card deals should look, and it can become annoying to certain of these players to try to carefully watch card movement that continually appears wrong to those players. This may detract from the player's enjoyment of the anticipation and revelation of outcomes during play of the game.
Since there are so many variables associated with the movement and timing in dealing a card from a deck or from a shoe, players can usually notice changes in deal pacing, card placement, and card reveal. For players who like to change their video, graphical, or virtual dealer throughout a play session to change their luck or for any other suitable reason, the fact that the deal itself never changes when the video, graphical, or virtual dealer changes can greatly reduce the psychological impact of the change. By having a never-changing card deal, it can become much harder for a given player to continue the player's suspension of disbelief regarding the reality of the dealer and the authenticity of the change of dealer.
Thus, while certain of the different video, graphical, or virtual dealers differ in appearance, for a given dealer-based game each of the video, graphical, or virtual dealers employs the same style of object manipulation, including the same timing, mechanics, and animations. Viewing a video, graphical, or virtual dealer using the same style of object manipulation for each play of a given dealer-based game in each gaming session leads to player boredom and monotonous game play. This may encourage players to stop playing the gaming device. Therefore, to increase player enjoyment, excitement, and retention, it is desirable to provide players with new ways to customize playing experiences and to provide players with a way to control certain aspects of the gaming device or the games operated thereon. A continuing need thus exists to provide new and exciting gaming systems, gaming devices, and methods employing customizable dealers for dealer-based games.